head to head · open source
manim vs Easy3D
manim has 96,012 GitHub stars, 7,895 forks, 500 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Easy3D has 1,661 stars, 275 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped yesterday. manim leads on adoption by 5,680% (96,012 vs 1,661 stars). manim is written in Python under MIT; Easy3D is written in C++ under GPL-3.0. manim has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, Easy3D 17%. Easy3D was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| manim | Easy3D | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 96K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.9K | ⑂ 275 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick manim if
- You weight community size — 96K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Easy3D if
- You want the Easy3D feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and Easy3D fits your workflow better
About manim
Manim is an engine for precise programmatic animations, designed for creating explanatory math videos. Note, there are two versions of manim. This repository began as a personal project by the author of 3Blue1Brown for the purpose of animating those videos, with video specific code available here. In 2020 a group of developers forked it into what is now the community edition, with a goal of being more stable, better tested, quicker to respond to community contributions, and all around friendlier to get started with. See this page for more details. Installation [!Warning] WARNING: These instructions are for…
read the full manim overview →
About Easy3D
For 3D modeling, geometry processing, and rendering, designed with emphasis on simplicity and efficiency. Easy3D is implemented in C++ and comes with Python bindings . It is intended for research and educational purposes, but it is also a good starting point for developing sophisticated 3D applications. Compared to existing geometry processing libraries (such as PMP and libigl) that focus on the algorithm aspect, Easy3D also provides a wider range of functionalities for user interactions and rendering. Key features Efficient data structures for representing and managing 3D models such as point clouds, polygonal…
read the full Easy3D overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is manim or Easy3D more popular?
manim has 96,012 GitHub stars and Easy3D has 1,661. manim has the larger community by that measure.
Are manim and Easy3D free?
Both are open source. manim is licensed under MIT and Easy3D under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between manim and Easy3D?
manim is written in Python and Easy3D in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, manim or Easy3D?
Choose manim if you want the larger community (96,012 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Easy3D if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.